Search This Blog

HOG HEAVEN

Too often the focus of a discussion about whether to eat a certain way is limited to the realm of nutrition; i.e., this food offers more of these vitamins, or those minerals, or it burns fat, or builds muscle, etc.It is important to remember that your food choices impact not only your own body but also the health of the environment, economy, not to mention the well-being of your fellow Earthlings. Which is why we say that the proper foods require a relative minimum of resources and regenerate rather than
ravage the environment, while being a source of pleasure and life rather than
pain and death.This holiday season, when you sit down to that turkey or that hog (and even for those who shun such foods, animal products often infiltrate family gatherings), and when you possibly pray over such food, as is customary for families to do, remember the words of the eminent Upton Sinclair, who wrote in "The Jungle" (1906) about these creatures whose pain we make our pleasure:... “And each of them had an individuality of his own, a will of his own, a hope and a heart’s desire; each was full of self-confidence, of self-importance, and a sense of dignity. And trusting and strong in faith he (the hog) had gone about his business, the while a black shadow hung over him and a horrid Fate waited in his pathway. Now suddenly it had swooped upon him, and had seized him by the leg. Relentless, remorseless, it was; all his protests, his screams, were nothing to it - it did its cruel will with him, as if his wishes, his feelings, had simply no existence at all; it cut his throat and watched him gasp out his life. And now was one to believe that there was nowhere a god of hogs, to whom this hog personality was precious, to whom these hog squeals and agonies had a meaning? Who would take this hog into his arms and comfort him, reward him for his work well done, and show him the meaning of his sacrifice?” ...If you believe in a God, or a higher intelligence, or a cosmic order, or in karma, fate, whatever, and especially if you now and then pray to such a being or power, you know the strength of hope, and the despair you may feel when your prayers seem to go unanswered. Now, take a moment to think of our animal friends lined up for slaughter, and imagine them beseeching a God who will never hear their lamentations. If, as we all do, you believe your prayers may be answered, give the turkeys and chickens and cows and pigs and fish of the world the possibility that theirs too may not fall on deaf ears, and that hog heaven may be on Earth, in a peaceful and natural life free of the pain and suffering animals raised for slaughter incur.

This Christmas, choose plants.

Get link

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Google+

Email

Other Apps

Labels

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I was watching the TV show Naked and Afraid last night as I sometimes do. The show teams together two strangers, a man and a woman, who attempt to survive on their own for a period of 21 days in some remote and isolated region. Some of the locales featured include the Australian Outback, the Amazonian rainforest and the African Savanna. The man may have a military background, or be an adventurist or deep sea fisherman. Sometimes he's an ordinary dude who lives with mom. The woman is a park ranger or extreme fitness enthusiast or "just a mom" herself. Sometimes the couple quarrel, sometimes one or both "tap out" (quit) in a fit of anger or illness. It is satisfying to see them actually make it through the challenge and reach their extraction point. The victors are usually exhausted, emaciated, begrimed and bare ass naked.

Even more satisfying, at least for me, is the occasional ass shot, snuck in at strategic intervals to boost viewership, of course. It's co…

I hereby proclaim that June is meditation month. And July and August and some of September too. For me at least. During the hundred days that comprise summer, give or take, I have taken it upon myself to "assume the position" for approximately one hour each day, usually divided into two 30-minute sessions. During this time I sit in front of a candle flame, let my breathing subside, and with it my mental activity, and literally count the seconds.

The reductive tendency that is emblematic of science has penetrated schools of meditation, and there are many, each of which advertises its particular breed as, if not being the best, at least boasting novel or specific benefits not found in other forms of meditation.

For example, there is mindfulness, which is the monitoring of thoughts. There is concentration or focus, as on an object or the breath. There is transcendental meditation, which uses the inward repetition of a phrase, or mantra, to "allow your active mind to easily …

To be spontaneous or systematic, that's the question. Or SOS, as the Police sing. Within me these two opposing characteristics are ever at war. I suppose we're all born more of the former. What child is not up for a trip to the candy store on a whim? But our educational system drums in the systematic approach to problem solving. You must progress from number 1 to 10 on your test. Each class is 50 minutes long. Etc. And indeed having a schedule and being methodical can lead to greater material success. If you only do what you feel like you may never study math, or organize your closet. But enslaving yourself to a ritual can suck all the fun out of life. To reconcile the two approaches we've evolved the weekend, which is basically a short vacation from the rigid workday, a time to play in an unstructured way. The athlete has his rest days, a time away from play. The family has the trip to the Bahamas. There are semester breaks in school, though having an entire summer off is…